Thursday, July 31, 2014

Homemade Strawberry Jam....Jars of Red Goodness!

What do you like on your toast?

Butter.....cinnamon and sugar.....a smear of avocado.....

Well, Glitterinas, I like all of those choices!

I also like homemade strawberry jam!

That's what we're making today.....sweet, delicious, red jam.....
made from an old recipe.

Is your mouth watering? Mine is.....

We'll start with four pounds of strawberries.....
washed, hulled, and cut up.

Are those berries pretty or what?!


Next, peel and cut up four apples.....
I will be using two Granny Smith and two
Golden Delicious apples.


These apples add the pectin naturally to the jam.

Last ingredient...... a can of grape juice.


Place the strawberries and apples into a
heavy pan.....I used my dutch oven so I'd have
plenty of room to stir.


Give the fruit a big stir.....and add the grape juice.


That's all the ingredients......really!

Over medium heat bring the mixture to a gentle boil.

Stir, stir, stir.....



Keep stirring and cooking.....until it looks like this.


I use my immersion blender to smooth out some of
the chunky pieces that have not cooked down.


Whirrr, whirrr.....

My kitchen smells so good!

I can hardly wait to taste this beautiful red goodness....
but right now it's crazy, burn your mouth hot!

Sterilized jars and lids are warming up in the sink.....just waiting
to be filled.


The big jar is for our enjoyment and the small jars 
are to give away!

When the strawberry mixture is ready, 
I skim the bubbles from the top.

I find it easier to skim the pot than to skim each jar.


Let's get our assembly line all set up.....


A big mouth canning funnel is a life saver for 
this particular activity!

Ready, set......fill those jars, wipe the edge, top each jar with a new lid 
and a band......then set each one
on the wire rack to be placed into the boiling water.


When the water bath processing is complete, set the jars carefully on a
towel to cool.....and count the "pops".

Hopefully each and every jar lid will seal.

Any jars that do not seal should be placed into the refrigerator
and eaten first!

I bet you have someone who would be willing to help you eat up
some fresh strawberry jam!

The sealed, cooled jars can go onto the pantry shelf....


.....where they will sit in all their red glory just waiting
to be opened and served with toast or biscuits
or
given to a special friend or family member!

Yum, yum......

Does homemade strawberry jam sound good to you?

This recipe is a good one to try this summer.

Give it a try, Glitterinas, and let me hear how
good yours turns out!

Thank you so much for working in the kitchen with me today....
it was fun, wasn't it?!


Here's to lazy strawberry days,
Tammy



Thankful for:
wonderful doctors and nurses 
who take such good care of me when
I'm not feeling so good















.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

One More Recipe (for now).....Bacon Wrapped Asparagus!

Bacon......bacon......bacon!

Is your mouth watering, Glitterinas?

I think bacon is Husband's very favorite food!

If I would fix it three meals a day, he'd eat it!
And that slamming noise would be his arteries slamming shut.....

Let's get into the kitchen and get
busy with some nice, fresh asparagus.

Chop off the woody end of each
asparagus spear.


Using a whole piece of bacon, wrap two or three
spears together and lay in a baking dish.


Now let's make a glaze for these
pretty packets!

Just the kind of recipe I like.....simple, and made with
items I have in the kitchen!

Heat over medium heat, in a sauce pan....

one stick of butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
pinch of fresh ground pepper


Stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Pour over asparagus wraps.....


Get every, last drop.....


Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Serve hot.

Husband was running late, so the quiche and the asparagus wraps
sat in the oven that was turned off, in hopes it would all stay warm....

When I cut and served the quiche, the crust fell off.....
I guess that's what I get for using a store bought crust.

The asparagus looked pitiful after sitting 
for an extra hour and a half before it was served......sigh.

Dinner tasted good but looked very sad.....


So, hopefully when you give these wraps a try
you'll get to serve them as soon as they are ready
and they'll look as good as they taste!

There's always hope.......right?!


You are awesome, Glitterinas!

Thanks for hanging out with me for a little while today!

Until next time,
Tammy



Thankful for:
a sweet husband who works very hard








Saturday, July 12, 2014

Another Yummy Recipe.....Marinated Tomatoes

More yumminess, Glitterinas.....

....are you ready to head to the kitchen?

Come on, grab a cool drink and let's get busy!

Today, we are taking advantage of the
delicious bounty being produced by our
tomato plants!

When I took this picture, I was wondering what to do with
these lovelies.

They finished ripening and I found a 
Southern Living recipe that inspired me!


I changed up the recipe a bit....different spices and herbs.....
sometimes change is good, right?!?

In this case, it was!

We'll begin with 8 cups of tomatoes, the small yellow jewels are cut in half
and the red Roma tomatoes are cut into four pieces.


Pour the tomatoes into a bowl....


Sprinkle them with a scant 1/4 cup of course sea salt and stir.


Set the tomatoes aside and begin the marinade.

Into a medium hot skillet, pour one and a half cups of olive oil.


Next, add one medium, rough chopped onion
to the oil....


.....and four or five chopped cloves of garlic.


Cook until the onions are transparent.


Stir......stir......stir......not constantly, but
keep an eye on them.

When the onions are transparent, cool completely.
I love the way this mixture makes my kitchen smell!

I wish I had smell-o-vision for you, Glitterinas!

In a mixing cup, place 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar.
I used roasted garlic, red wine vinegar.


Now add some yummy things to this.....

from the herb garden....

fresh chives and purple basil.


Chives and basil from the grocery store are
perfectly fine, too!

I am lucky enough to have these herbs growing 
out in the yard.

These herbs are a change I made from the original
Southern Living recipe.

Thyme, rosemary, parsley......could be used, in any
combination....if they are your
favorite herbs!

I used kitchen shears to snip, snip, snip
the chives and add them to the vinegar.

Then, before adding the basil, I decided to use
a cutting technique I learned from
 Martha Stewart.....

the chiffonade.

Stack the basil leaves....


....roll them up.....


....and chop, chop!


Into the vinegar mixture.


Lastly, a hit of crushed red pepper flakes....
not much.....Husband is not a fan
of spicy!


By now, your oil, onion and garlic mixture
is probably cooled.

Pour it over the salted tomatoes.


Give the whole shootin' match a really good stir!

Now, pour in the vinegar mixture.....


Stir.....stir....

I had a good, tall jar with a tight fitting lid that I decided
I would use to store the marinated tomatoes.

They will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.....
they won't last that long here at our house!



Oooooh, yummmmm!

Can you see all those yummy herbs mixed into
those delicious little pieces of tomato?

It was time for lunch when I finished this
jar of mouth-watering goodness.


I set the table with red, white and blue to continue the
tablescape theme......



I made some corn bread and served up
a pretty plate of marinated tomatoes
for our lunchtime pleasure!

I sprinkled a little more basil on top.


Very good!

If you have some fresh tomatoes that you want
to eat up.....definitely give this recipe a try!

I have served these tomatoes on polenta, 
on chicken,
 and tossed with pasta....
all good!

Thanks for spending some time in the kitchen 
with me, Glitterinas!

I love that you take time from your day
to visit me here at Pink Glitter!

Until next recipe,
Tammy



Thankful for:
sweet friends, who like me just as I am



























Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Some Yummy Basics......Fresh Green Beans!

Hello Glitterinas!

Let's head right to the kitchen.

I have a friend who has decided 
she wants to learn to cook this summer!

Sooooo, I'll be sharing some great starter recipes in
the next few posts in her honor!

Green beans are a good place to start.....so here we go!

You can buy fresh green beans at farmer's markets this time
of year.....or maybe you're growing
them in your garden or are lucky enough to have a
generous friend who'll share their harvest!

Place your fresh green beans in a colander and rinse 
well in cool water.



Trim the ends from each bean.



I place the trimmed beans in a bowl as I go.


My chickens will get the "trims"....
not much, though.


Cover the bowl of trimmed beans and 
refrigerate until you are ready to cook them.


When you are ready, head over to the stove.....
bring a skillet of water to a boil.....add a pinch of salt.....


Gently place the green beans into the boiling water.
Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring once or twice.




Drain the cooked beans and return the skillet to the heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and as the butter
begins to melt return the drained beans to the skillet.


Add 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic and another
pat of butter to the beans as they cook.


If desired, add some fresh ground pepper......


....and a tablespoon of truffle flavored oil.



Now, the cooking time on this step is 
based on preference.

Some like their beans a little "more done", so let
the beans cook until they are soft.

Some like their beans crisp, so let 
the beans cook in the butter and spices
for about 8-9 minutes.

Remove the beans to a platter for serving.

Tonight, I'm serving the beans with
Rosemary Garlic Stuffed Cornsh Hens
on wild rice.




Pretty and yummy!

Fresh green beans add a delicious and colorful
side dish to a family meal or a dinner party!

Enjoy!

Glitterinas, I hope you'll give these green beans a try.....and
let me know how they taste!

 Please stop by Pink Glitter again soon!

Until next recipe,
Tammy



Thankful for:
all our big ol' trees that make
cool shade on these hot days